COMIDA

Esmeraldas culinary delights

Esmeraldas is also one of the richest provinces in what concerns gastronomy. The Afro-
Ecuadorian culture has contributed with key elements in this area. Its main ingredients are
coconut, seafood, green-banana, and cassava.

Ceviche: This is a dish made with seafood (their favorite are raw dark oysters, shrimp, squid,
mussels, or raw fish cooked in lemon juice!) It is made with lots of red onion, chili, other spices,
and herbs. The secret in making cebiche is knowing how to regulate the amount of the seafood’s
juice, according to the type. It is served cold and together with green banana chips and a really
cold beer. You can also ask for mixed cebiches.

Encocados: This dish is made with grated coconut and coconut milk added to the fish or to any
kind of seafood before cooking them. Encocado Rice: The rice is cooked with coconut; it is served
alone or with seafood.

Smoked mullet: Mullets are smoked (placed about 50 cm, 20 inches above the coal) and are
bathed with coconut milk. This can be made and enjoyed on the beach.

Green-banana ball soup: Green bananas are cooked, mashed and shaped in balls with cheese
inside. The soup also has shrimp and coconut milk.

Fish or shrimp casserole: This is a dish made with mashed green banana, coconut milk, grated
coconut, ground peanuts, and fish or shrimp (or both!). It goes to the oven until it is light brown.

Fish and Green-Banana Tapao: Layers of fish and green bananas are cooked in water and
seasoned with coconut and chillangua. It is important to cover it with banana leaves.

Masato or Chucula: This dish is made of boiled ripe banana mashed on a stone together with
milk or coconut milk, butter, cheese, egg, all wrapped in a bijao leaf and baked.

Esmeraldas Cocada: This is a sweet made of brown sugar loaf and coconut, milk, and peanuts. It
is cooked long, depending on the stage desired.

http://www.ecuador-travel-planner.com/esmeraldasfood

MUSICA

Marimba music, traditional chants and dances from the Colombia South Pacific region and
Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador

Marimba music and traditional chants and dances are musical expressions integral to
the family and community of people of African descent in the Colombian South Pacific
region and Esmeraldas Province of Ecuador. Chanted stories and poems are performed
by men and women at ritual, religious and festive events as a celebration of life, a form
of worship to saints or as a farewell to the deceased, and are accompanied by rhythmic
movements of the body. The marimba music is played on a palm wood xylophone with
bamboo tube resonators, accompanied by drums and maracas. The element is rooted
in family and daily activities and the community as a whole is considered the bearer and
practitioner, irrespective of age or gender. Elderly people play a crucial role in
transmitting legends and stories from oral tradition, while music teachers oversee the
transmission of musical knowledge to new generations. Marimba music and traditional
chants and dances promote symbolic exchanges that include food and drink. Each of
these expressions facilitates family and collective integration through ancestral
practices that heighten the sense of belonging to a particular group connected to a
shared territory and history.
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/marimba-music-traditional-chants-and-dances-from-the-
colombia-south-pacific-region-and-esmeraldas-province-of-ecuador-01099

COSTUMBRES

http://turismoaccesible.ec/site/en/information/region-costa/esmeraldas/cultura-y-
tradiciones/

TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL

http://esmeraldaequador-sustainability-city.weebly.com/culture.html

INGREDIENTES

Plátano Verdes (2 und)

Cebolla Larga (1 rama)

Queso fresco (8 onzas)

Manteca (1 cucharada)

Aceite

Sal (Al gusto

PREPARACION

– Pelar los verdes

– Cocinarlos en una olla con agua y sal al gusto.

Empanadas de Verde (Receta y Preparación)– Ya cuando estés suave, sacarlos de la olla y

rallarlos o majarlos con un mazo.

– Cuando todos los plátanos estén rayados, utilizar las manos y amasar hasta obtener una
masa suave.

– Formar bolitas de igual tamaño y entenderlas dentro de una funda abierta de plástico.

– En un sartén, hacer un refrito con la manteca y el queso sazonando con sal y pimienta.

– Rallar el queso fresco.

– Mezclar el refrito con el queso rallado.

– Rellenar las empanadas con el queso.

– Freírlas en aceite a temperatura alta.

– Colocar las empanadas ya fritas sobre una servilleta o papel para que absorba la grasa